The Adviser to the United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General on Libya, Stephanie Williams has urged various parties in Libya to preserve the calm on ground.
The envoy made her remarks during a meeting with Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli, where they discussed the recent developments and the recent votes taken by the House of Representatives to adopt a constitutional amendment and designate a new prime minister.
In another meeting with the prime minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha, she stressed that the focus must continue to be on the holding of free, fair and inclusive national elections in the shortest possible time.
The House of Representatives last Thursday unanimously voted for former Interior Minister Bashagha as the country’s new prime minister.
Shortly after the vote, Bashagha said he is confident that Dbeibah’s government will hand over power and adhere to the democratic path. However, Dbeibah confirmed that his government will remain in office until elections are held and will only hand over to an elected government.
Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity was appointed by the U.N.-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February last year, ending years of political division in the North African country.
The Libyan parliament withdrew confidence from Dbeibah’s government in September last year and kept it as a caretaker government.
General elections in Libya had been scheduled for Dec. 24 last year, but were postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues, according to the High National Elections Commission.
